Chivalric Order of the Odd Stocking
The '''Fellow Soldiers of the Chivalric Order of the Odd Stocking of King Mordoc and the Church of Wee Jas in Sasserine '''was a holy military order formed by Mordoc Teraknian to protect the royal line of the Teraknians and undertake perilous quests of great import to the defence of the realm. The Fellow Soldiers went into hiding with Orren Teraknian in 1885 and faded into the realm of misremembered legend. There are no known surviving members of the order. Crest A shirtless fool in odd-stockings, holding a brimming tankard, flanked by sejant cockatrices with wings addorsed and elevated, on a shield with crossed batons and filigree Origins Legend has it that in the year 1755, Mordoc Teraknian, the King of Sasserine, was engaging in a heavy drinking session with his finest warriors and closest confidantes, when the city came under sudden attack by Gizrak the Eviscerator and his vast army of lizardfolk. Mordoc's brother, who had not been drinking, rallied the city militia in the defence against the horde whilst Mordoc and his men were still pulling on their armour and staggering drunkenly into battle. Once the lizardfolk had been repelled, Mordoc's brother rode up and levied insults at Mordoc's men, disgusted by their drunkenness, pointing out that the king's squire was so drunk that he had dressed himself in stockings of different colours. The king replied that "even in odd stockings, these men are twice the warriors that you will ever be!", and thus the founding members of the order were chosen. To spite his brother, Mordoc went to the head of the Church of Wee Jas and had his men formally created as a chivalric order. Royal Bodyguards and Epic Adventurers Despite their origins as a band of drunkards, the order grew more pious over time, and eventually became a serious military order responsible for protecting the Teraknian bloodline, guarding the royal treasury, and taking on perilous quests of varying importance to the defence of the realm. Fellow Soldiers of the order travelled throughout the New World on epic misadventures to slay dragons or retrieve artefacts from infested dungeons. The Order also amassed considerable wealth, enough for it's Grandmasters to become some of the richest people in Sasserine. The Order devoted some of it's funds to building a stronghold at a hidden location near the confluence of the Tiger River, to store priceless artefacts and hide members of House Teraknian in times of crisis. The Exile of Orren Terraknian During the last years of Orren Teraknian's reign, the Order defended him from several attempted dethronements.Category:AffiliationCategory:Holy OrderCategory:Order of the Odd StockingCategory:Sasserine Upon the arrival of the Albaidans, the Order was betrayed by their own corrupt grandmaster. They were surrounded in Castle Teraknian and after a twelve day siege the Albaidans promised them and Orren Teraknian safe passage out of the city. The Order decided to take the offer, for their duty was to protect the royal bloodline, not to sit in the castle and let the King starve on a point of principle. The Fellow Soldiers escorted Orren to the Tiger River Citadel where he spent the rest of his life shut in his bedchamber for his own safety, descending further and further into madness. The order, led by their Magnus Commendator, Siegbert the Hirsute, set about trying to amass an army and return Orren to the throne. Category:House Teraknian